April 1, 2018
[10:38] We keep our computers on lockdown, encrypt our data and secure them from prying eyes and online predators. But what about our backups and those external drives? Our data is so valuable; we dedicate this episode and look at diskAshur2, an innovative hardware solution created by UK-based iStorage. It features PIN-authenticated and hardware-encrypted hard drive to help you lock down your precious data.
And this is no April Fool's Joke.
You can find iStorage diskAshur2 at Nuimpact (iStorage’s distributor) and Amazon. You can also read the original review at Troy Media.
March 14, 2018
[28:08] In this episode Greg Gazin speaks with communications expert Matt Abrahams who shares six of his many techniques to calm presentation jitters and a whole lot more.
Matt is an educator and coach who teaches Strategic Communication for Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business and Presentation Skills for Stanford’s Continuing Studies Program. He’s also co-founder of coaching consulting practice Bold Echo Communication Solutions where he helps presenters at all levels of an organization to become more confident and compelling speakers.
He’s also the author of the Speaking Up without Freaking Out, now in its 3rd edition.
You can also catch Matt on the Toastmasters Podcast, Episode 111, with Greg Gazin and Ryan Levesque where he spoke on how to Be Confident When Caught Off Guard.
Matt’s Six techniques are also available as an infographic for quick reference.
Matt can be reached at NoFreakingSpeaking.com.
February 28, 2018
[23:13] In this episode Greg speaks with Garfield Hiscock from Edmonton, Canada who shares his insights and motivations and how he’s clocked in over 100 visits to service organizations like Chambers of Commerce and Toastmasters clubs outside his hometown.
It seems for years Hiscock found himself “out-of-town” for both work and play. His time away from home led him to search for, as he called them, “pseudo families” wherever he went; his solution was to seek out various service organizations. In fact often, he would often base his travel schedule around meeting times and locations.
Hiscock is a Technical Trainer and currently working for a utility company, training drivers. He has a BA in Economics and a Masters of Information Technology Education. He’s also a Distinguished Toastmaster and member for over 27 years.
February 19, 2018
[30:20] What are “enlightened super achievers?” What are these influential leaders’ timeless secrets? If you want to know more tune in to our latest episode. Greg speaks with Corey Poirier, a multiple-time TEDx, highly sought-after speaker and featured in numerous media outlets. Corey is also the host of the top-rated radio show “Conversations with Passion,” where he’s interviewed over 4,000 top leaders and great minds, the likes of Robin Sharma Robin, Jack Canfield, Zig Ziglar, Dr. John Gray, John Maxwell, Stephen MR Covey, Arlene Dickinson and more.
Corey who’s been successful on both sides of the mic, also shares some insights on how he reached his personal success and offer tips from his signature presentations. We'll also hear about his brand-new book, The Book of Why (And How) – Discover the Timeless Secrets to Meaning, Success and Abundance. Corey can be reached at ThatSpeakerGuy.com.
January 31, 2018
[10:49] For whatever reason, over 80% of New Year's resolutions fail within the 1st two weeks of February. Perhaps we're going about this all wrong. In this episode your host Greg Gazin shares a personal journey that shows perhaps why we might be more successful if we create visions rather that resolutions.
December 31, 2017
[29:58] At this time of the year we reflect back on the year but look forward to the New Year. In this episode, we look back 10 years ago this week to a Toastcaster Podcast interview with Craig Valentine, 1999 Toastmasters World Champion of Public Speaking that still resonates with Greg today.
In the podcast interview Craig shared a number of insights and personal stories. He talked about things like the importance of having a vision, the dash between the dates, crabs in a barrel, leading a proactive versus a reactive life and more - relevant to Creating Your Future and perfect for this time of the year.
What's really interesting is that with our 24/7 connected world and lives busier than ever, what you'll hear seems even more relevant today as it was a decade ago. So have a listen and enjoy our podcast replay.
Craig Valentine WCPS is a motivational speaker, speech coach and best-selling author. He can be reached at CraigValentine.com.
November 30, 2017
[22:32] Impromptu speaking is a great skill to have and you never know where it can be useful. In Toastmasters the practice of this type of speaking is called Table Topics. In this episode we speak with Blaine Zuk, ACG, ALB , who took home top honours at the District 99 Table Topics Contest held recently in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Zuk, a nine-year member of Dawnbreakers Toastmasters in Edmonton, has MBA and PMP designations and is a Project Manager and Change Manager in the healthcare informatics field. He grew up and currently lives on a farm, bringing stories of his work and life experience into his speeches
He shares with us his experience competing in the contest, talks about the Table Topics competition question and his thought process on how he went about answering it. He also gives us some insight on impromptu speaking and tips on how you can do better at Table Topics at your club, work or in any social situation.
October 14, 2017
[07:33] In this episode, Greg talks about and shares a really cool resource for those looking to find quotes and other materials by or about Donald Trump that are not "Fake News." Whether you are looking for speech material or quotes to use, this free currated on-line resource of 10,000+ entries allows people to search by keyword, subject or suggested categories. This podcast is based on Greg's recent Gadget Guy article written for Canoe Tech Blog on the subject and links directly to the database.
September 18, 2017
[20:46] In this episode, Greg speaks with Dr. Bo Bennett. Bo is a successful entrepreneur, author, podcaster, instructor and Doctor of Philosophy. Many of you may already know Bo as the creator of FreeToastHost, founder of e-bookIt and founding co-host of the Toastmasters Podcast.
Bo and Greg talk about on-line courses, but not just about taking them, but creating them and getting them up on-line. Bo talks about the skills needed to create them and how these skills, like Toastmasters are a great way to practise and learn to become a more engaging speaker and presenter in a live, on-line and in a multi-medium environment.
Bo also breifly introduces us to VirversitY, an on-line learning platform he created where you can learn to create and produce you own on-line courses. This platform cannot only help you with your skills improvement, it also opens the doors for many business opportunities. For example, you can create on-line courses without limiting yourself geographically or turn books or existing content into courses as Bo has done.
Bo can be reached at BoBennett.com.
April 30, 2017
[27:22] Mike Raffety, DTM, PID is very active on both the Official Toastmasters Facebook page and LinkedIn group answering many Toastmasters related questions. So we reached out to Mike in Chicago and asked him to give us his take on the Toastmasters Club Myths in the Toastmasters International April 2017 Leader Letter as well as a few other club, contest and speech myths he covered in a 2015 blog post at MikeRaffety.com. Even experienced Toastmasters may be surprised about some things many thought to be true, are simply not.
April 1, 2017
[07:08] In this episode Greg tells the story of the origin of April Fool's Day. Greg was recently the Toastmaster of the Day at his home club, New Entrepreneurs and the theme was April Fool's Day. After researching the topic, Greg perhaps over-prepared his opening remarks and although a little lengthy, they were well received by the members.
As a result, when Greg went home, he expanded on what he had said and wrote an article that was published at Troy Media. Then he decided to make a podcast of the article which is what you'll hear. Enjoy.
March 19, 2017
[29:15] In this episode we speak with Naomi Takeuchi, DTM, PDG, President and CEO 1000 Cranes, LLC. Naomi shares with us some of her Toastmaster travel adventures, visiting and speaking at clubs around the world and offering some insight, tips and encouragement to check out clubs, conferences or even have lunch and connect with other Toastmasters at their travel destinations.
Naomi is a consultant to non-profits and leadership development trainer who recently moved from Charlotte, North Carolina to Santa Rosa, California. She travels extensively for both personal travel and business and over the years visiting places like Australia, Canada, China, India, UK, Qatar and also New Zealand, where she is now also a dual member, creating an international network of colleagues and friends through Toastmasters. In fact, the title of this episode is inspired by her contribution, “Your International Network Awaits!” in the book Heart of a Toastmaster (page 51), an anthology of stories curated by Sheryl Roush.
February 28, 2017
[08:03] As Toastmasters we often use USB sticks with other people's computers or often they use ours. No surprise, there is always a threat of viruses and other nasties. The truth is some are impossible to detect or eradicate while the conmputer is active. This is where FixMeStick comes in. Created in Montreal, Canada, it's a self-propelled virus removal system that runs from a thumb drive independant of your PCs or Mac's OS. It's a must have for all computer users. Listen to hear more.
January 31, 2017
[19:26] Toastcaster Podcast is celebrating its 10th Anniversary. In this episode Greg grabs the mic and takes an impromptu journey back a decade to its humble beginnings starting from the pilot episode featuring then District 42 Governor Mona Cooley, DTM.
What started as an idea in 2006 for an HPL (High Performance Leadership) project has blossomed into 77 episodes, almost 200K downloads and 1.5M feed hits and counting.
You'll hear how Toastcaster was conceived and get highlights from a number of the episodes and some of the people Greg has interviewed.
Greg will also share what he's learned from this process and how it's changed him and how he now looks at podcasting.
A huge thanks to all those that helped make it happen and for all the listeners for tuning in.
Happy Birthday Toastcaster Podcast
December 4, 2016
[27:41] In this episode we speak with Glenda Sheard, DTM, Social Media Manager for District 99. While not an official Toastmasters position, her role is a critical component in attracting new members and engaging existing ones as this medium has gained widespread use. Glenda, a newly minted DTM enthusiastically shares how Social Media impacts districts and clubs and all Toastmasters, enlightening us on the importance of her role and how it works; how Districts can benefit from having a Social Media Manager and using Social Media along with some tips, tricks and examples how D99 uses these resources and how others can use them too.
Glenda Sheard DTM is a speaker, facilitator, presenter and fundraiser and lives in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
October 31, 2016
[26:51] We accumulate all kinds of digital stuff but Visual Productivity expert and regular guest Kevin Achtzener tells us once and awhile we need to do a content audit. Even though content is King as some say and drive space is cheap these days, we need to review our digital clutter. Perhaps it's outdated, no longer relevant or represents who we are. And as Toastmasters as we progress, some of the old content no longer reflects our skill level. Kevin shares his experience and gives us tips and tricks as to what you can do with your content for yourself and your Toastmasters Club. You may be amazed that sometimes you can re-purpose it rather than delete it.
September 29, 2016
[19:15] In this episode we speak to Toastmasters International Immediate Past President Jim Kokocki, DTM, from New Brunswick, Canada. We learn a little about his Toastmasters journey including his year as President, an insight on leadership and maybe a sneak peek at his Keynote and Plenary session he'll be presenting at the inaugural Fall Conference for the newly created District 99 to be held in Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada. Oct 21-22, 2016. If you are interested in attending, check out the D99tm.org Fall 2016 Conference Page.
September 16, 2016
[31:05] Robert Lavigne, The Digital Grapevine, Digital Strategist and Podcaster moved from Toronto, Ontario Canada 99 km to Brantford, birthplace of the telephone and legendary #99 Wayne Gretzky.
What started as an exercise in brand building and a series of individual topics in Robert’s new hometown became a humbling learning experience of 100 podcasts, 100 conversations over 2 years that weaved together stories that transformed him and helped bring their community closer together. Robert shares his experience and also how the series concluded with an interview with a man who represents community - Walter Gretzky, affectionately known as "Canada's Hockey Dad," father of #99 and Lord Mayor of Brantford. The City of Brantford recently recognized Robert for all his efforts.
August 19, 2016
[42:40] This episode we learn about the Art of Competing with Russ Dantu, 6x District Speech Contest winner & 2015 WCPS Finalist and Lance Miller, 9x District winner and 2005 World Champion of Public Speaking. Lance coached Russ for last year's event. You'll hear them share that experience, competing tips and give us a glimpse of The Art of Competing, their new and already popular CD, which can be found at LanceMillerSpeaks.com or RussDantu.com.
July 21, 2016
[27:32] Russ Dantu, District 42, Calgary, Canada continues his journey to the World Championship of Public Speaking semi-final and then on to the finals in Las Vegas. He takes us through his experience after winning at District and on to the finals and all his exciting trials and tribulations along the way. This is a continuation of Episode 57.
July 9, 2016
[22:26] Rick Lauber is the Best Selling Author of Caregiver's Guide for Canadians, The Successful Caregiver’s Guide (USA) and a contributor in two Chicken Soup for the Soul books. A former Toastmaster with New Entrepreneurs in Edmonton Canada, Rick shares why he joined Toastmasters, how it helped him and how it can help budding authors. He also offers a few tips on using your Toastmaster skills to help promote your book. Rick can be reached at RickLauber.com.
June 27, 2016
[29:22] George Marshall , DTM is the author of TmTools - Tools for Toastmasters, a series of tools to help Toastmasters at any level - Member, Club, Area, Division or District to truly get the information that they need in the sea of Toastmasters data.
TmTools do not replace, but rather extend information and reports we currently use - and they are constantly being improved and expanded. TmTools often give people that "I didn't know I could get that infomation," look on their faces.
George is a member of a member of three clubs: his home club (Star Search), an advanced club, and online club Netizens. He's the Producer, Toastmaster Time, D57’s TV show, District 57’s Statistician and a Revitalized Education Program Ambassador.
June 13, 2016
[27:46] Ummo App is your personalized speech coach & crutch-word finder developed at Harvard University. Greg speaks with two of its developers from Dehli, India and the Bay Area in California, Anshul Bhagi and Sam Li who tell us what the app's about; how they developed it and how IBM's Watson plays a role. They also tell us how you can use it to analyze and improve your speaking skills and share how Boston Toastmasters have been involved and what the future has in store for the app.
May 30, 2016
[07:13] Smartphones & Tablets have 10x the bacteria of your toilet seat. Whoosh! Dragon's Den approved is a cool product that not only cleans, it disinfects and safe enough to spray in your mouth. In this episode, Greg puts Whoosh! to the test. You can also read the review at CanoeTech Blog. (Photos courtesy Whoosh!)
May 14, 2016
[07:43] The Toastmaster Magazine is a valuable resource both in print and tablet versions. In this episode Greg gives us a little reminder as to why it's a good idea to check out either or both on a regular basis and let you in on a secret as to how the Official Toastmasters Podcast and on occasion Toastcaster get subjects for podcast interviews.
